". Arranged Words: Anticipation

17 Mar 2015

Anticipation

Glory Lilies
I have a book called The Indoor Potted Blub that I dig out in late winter to ease the transition into spring. After all too much beauty all at once might, I reckon, cause some sort of malady that I'd prefer to forgo, although I had it happen once when I flew from Inuvik, NWT ( well above the Arctic circle) to Hawaiian islands. I'm here to tell you Kawaii took my breath away: flowers everywhere, aqua sea, sand, a beautiful canyon, and, of course, heat, but mostly the humidity. We left a dry minus 45 and arrived to 85 degrees F temps. Stunningly wonderful. Yes! But overwhelming to  pasty-faced people who had not seen the sun for over 30 days.  But O, how wonderful the tropical sun feels and those trade winds that breeze over you... Ah... Glorious, in that case, in the extreme!
But I digress...inside the book, among other things, a Glory Lily. A fabulous plant from Africa and India that can grow to a height of six feet or more. Since that time, I've searched for glory lily bulbs and I almost had one once but the mail order company was sold out. 
 And so as sometimes happens, I recently I found myself tripping through the plant section at Walmart. Nothing interesting--a soggy grievous disaster--until, that is, I spied the bulbs and there right before my eyes a splendorous Glory Lily bulb. Needless to say, it took my breath away! I bought one and planted it a week or so ago. Fortunately, I've heard that "good things come to those who wait." But so far zilch, nada ... not even a lone sprig to welcome the eye.  But, I think, I can wait...

The watched pot.




Thank you for the lovely comments about my decoupage boxes. They were fun to make.

* * *
 A few weeks ago, I watched a 6 episode BBC production on Netflix called Africa. It's narrated by David Attenborough. If you haven't seen it, it's beyond fabulous. Because of it, I have on the drawing board a tall order: a giraffe. 

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand
.. Irish Blessing..

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Thanks for reading.

10 comments:

Barbara Lilian in France said...

What a beautiful flower, I looked it up on Google search. I think maybe you are being a bit impatient expecting it to have started to grow already.Listen to me Ha ! I'm the most impatient person there ever could be. It looks tropical, do you have it in a greenhouse or on a window ledge in a warm room, with plenty of sun shine on it.? I think that would help to speed up the growth. Also you could cover the top of the pot with a polythene bag held on with an elastic- band . Good luck is sent to you, as it's St Patrick's day it might be your lucky day. Please follow up on it's progress.

Lorraine said...

Gorgeous flower. I'm sure it's setting roots before it reaches for the sun. Be patient and please do share the progress. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Kim said...

I can see a lot of pot watching in the coming days for you, Dixie. The Glory Lily sounds rather magnificent. As for David Attenborough, he is always fascinating to watch...this particular series sounds like a "must see".

Dixie @ Arranged Words said...

In my rather jagged attempt at humor, I neglected to mention that I've waited for more than 20 years to get my hands on one of these bulbs. So the watch is most definitely on!
I also watched a wonderful doc with Attenborough about the Birds of Paradise. Clearly he more than loves what he does.
Enjoy the day, Kim.

Dixie @ Arranged Words said...

Yes, it does grow in Africa and India, so it does have a tropical inclination. Hopefully, I won't kill it wiith kindness. I will try the bag over it to mimic a greenhouse. Thanks for the tips, Barbara.

Dixie @ Arranged Words said...

Hi Lorraine,
They are also known as fire lilies.
If they have any left, I will buy another as insurance against disaster because I've wanted one of these bulbs for ages.
Enjoy...




Unknown said...

It's so fun to see plants emerging! I see you are reading All the Light you Cannot See, what do you think? I loved it, thought it was incredibly well written. Love your Shamrock plant!

Penny said...

Patience is a virtue! Wish I could say I was a virtuous as you. LOL Enjoy the process and post pics when you begin to see growth. We all want to see the process and outcome.

Dixie @ Arranged Words said...


Don't be trying to usurp my position, Penny. It's mine...all mine! :^)
I may lose soon though because I might just unearth it to see if there are any tap roots threading the soil.
Have a great weekend!

Dixie @ Arranged Words said...

Hi Virginia,
Mr. Doerr certainly knows how to pack a sentence with surprising metaphors! "Rain purling from one roof to another" comes to mind. So far the book has me in its grip; also interesting--that for such a large book the chapters are miniscule-- great book bites.
Thank you. The Shamrock I've had for a long time. It's a winter oasis for me. :)
Enjoy...